By Lieutenant Christian Dekker
It’s a beautiful morning in Metropolis, and Emily Sanchez, a police officer and single mother, is dressed in her MPD uniform, having a cup of coffee before work. She is scrolling through the news feed on her phone as her 8-year-old daughter, Madison, comes down the stairs, rubbing her eyes. “Mom, are you going to make my volleyball game at 6:30?” Madison asks. Emily looks at her daughter and says, “Of course, honey. I’ll be there. I promise.”
The year is 2034, and Emily has made a promise to her daughter she intends to keep, no matter what her shift brings her. Emily is going to get off on time. She kisses her daughter on the head and heads to work. Emily gets into her MPD unit and logs in for a shift briefing and into her integrated report-writing system (IRWS). After all the beats are assigned, Emily hits the in-service button and receives her first call of the day, a burglary.
Throughout the day, Emily handles seven calls for service, four of which require reports and one of which is an in-custody stolen vehicle pursuit. Additionally, Emily issues three citations and attends a community outreach meeting at the school district community center. Emily arrives at the station at the end of her shift, and her IRWS sends the reports it wrote to her for review. She reviews her reports, makes a few minor edits and authenticates them. With a push of a button, the IRWS sends the reports on to her supervisor. At 6 p.m. Emily finishes working for the day, changes out of her uniform and drives to Madison’s game. She gets there 10 minutes early, sits in the bleachers and greets the other parents as the game begins. Madison is about to serve, and she looks over at her mom and smiles.
How much of our officers’ time could we free up if we integrated existing technology into a system like Emily’s IRWS? Enough time for them to have a better work-life balance and focus more on community engagement? IRWS would be an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that could integrate 911 audio calls, body-worn camera video, video provided by the public and an officer’s dictation into crime reports in real time. After calls for service, IRWS will generate reports and send them to the officer to edit and the supervisor to review.
Although Emily’s IRWS might seem like science fiction, the components necessary to create it are already here.
The challenge of balancing duties
Law enforcement agencies are exploring ways to help police officers connect with their communities and build trust. One of the biggest challenges they face is time, most often time taken by administrative duties such as report writing, which consumes more than half of their shifts. [1] Currently, officers type reports on computers in their stations and patrol vehicles, and some agencies use dictation services, starting a cycle of writing the report, sending it for review, receiving it back and making corrections, only to have it start all over again for the next report in line.
Agencies need to leverage emerging technology such as AI by integrating the existing platforms of data collection into a capable and trustworthy application that can create factual police reports. By doing this, we turn our officers from report writers into report authenticators. This change in roles will streamline the report-writing process and save time. By reducing time spent on reports, officers can get back in the field to handle calls, engage more with the community and leave work on time more often.
The technology required for IRWS already exists; it simply needs to be integrated. Law enforcement executives have the unique opportunity to lead this transformation. By investing in and championing the development of IRWS, we can help create a system that enhances operational efficiency, builds stronger community relationships and supports the well-being of officers. Partnering with technology developers, securing funding and piloting such systems in our departments are actionable steps we can take to make IRWS a reality. Together, we can bring this vision to life and set a new standard for modern policing.
Implications for the future
Integrating AI into law enforcement operations presents significant implications for the future of policing. By streamlining administrative tasks and enhancing community engagement efforts, AI-powered technologies have the potential to revolutionize policing practices and improve public safety outcomes. Although studies have found that officers wearing body-worn cameras produced reports with higher accuracy than those without, [2] there are also reports that conflict with what is seen in BWC footage. The reason for this is that officers’ memory and ability to perceive everything is not as good as a no-bias video that captures everything. The public views these body-worn camera videos as more credible than written police reports because they can see it for themselves, though we all know videos may not show everything that happened. [3] Combining the camera footage with a transcribed summary, however, is a doable next step in the evolution of IRWS.
Axon’s body-worn camera project and “Draft One” are great examples of how new solutions are changing police work. Draft One has software that uses AI to make report writing easier, giving officers more time for other important tasks. [4] An advance already in the field is use of the Dragon Professional voice recognition system deployed in 2018 by the Polk County (Florida) Sheriff’s Department. [5] As described in Police Chief Magazine, the new system has significantly improved efficiency and report accuracy while reducing officer distractions, allowing them to create detailed reports more quickly and spend more time on community service. [5]
As police officers are freed from the administrative duties of report writing to be out in the community meeting citizens, speaking at schools and working proactively, they will have opportunities to build trust and confidence in policing. With this will come other outcomes, like people reporting previously unreported crimes and an increased feeling of community safety and security.
There is no doubt AI-generated reports have the potential to improve data analysis in law enforcement. [6] Integrating AI in report writing facilitates better information sharing and collaboration between law enforcement agencies, leading to more effective crime prevention and enhanced coordination. The integration of AI in report writing significantly improves the efficiency and accuracy of data analysis, supporting the formulation of targeted strategies for law enforcement organizations to collect and scrutinize information with greater effectiveness. The police spend up to 40% of their time today writing reports; [4] imagine how else they could use that time.
For community members, the payoff lies in feeling safer and more secure in their neighborhoods. The communities being served would benefit from increased presence and interaction with the police, leading to enhanced trust, collaboration and a stronger sense of neighborhood safety and security. When residents interact positively with police and feel listened to and respected, they are likelier to cooperate with law enforcement efforts, report crimes and work together to address community issues. This sense of partnership between police and the community fosters a shared responsibility for public safety, ultimately leading to more robust, resilient neighborhoods.
As law enforcement agencies navigate evolving technological landscapes, prioritizing community engagement remains paramount. By recognizing the value of building trust and fostering positive relationships with their communities, police agencies can ensure that their efforts are effective but also ethical and sustainable in the long term.
Next steps
What we know about the future of policing through AI report writing has several implications. First, AI-powered tools can help officers communicate more effectively by writing drafts of their documents. [7] Technology will be increasingly integral in shaping law enforcement practices, from streamlining administrative tasks to enhancing community engagement efforts. Second, prioritizing ethical considerations and maintaining the human element in policing are essential for preserving trust and legitimacy with the public. Lastly, the future of policing through AI report writing promises to create safer, more connected communities where law enforcement and residents work together to promote public safety and well-being.
Moving forward, law enforcement agencies, community members, policymakers and stakeholders must work collaboratively to harness the potential of AI-powered technologies while ensuring fairness, transparency and accountability in policing practices. By investing in ethical AI development, providing comprehensive training for officers, implementing robust data protection measures, establishing interagency collaboration standards, conducting regular ethical audits and engaging with citizens, we can create safer, more connected communities where law enforcement and residents work together to promote public safety and well-being.
References
1. Bengfort J. (June 2019.) Los Angeles wants tech to liberate police officers from administration. Slate Tech.
2. Dawes DM, Heegard WG, Brave M, et al. (2015.) Body-worn cameras improve law enforcement officer report writing accuracy. Journal of Law Enforcement.
3. Police Executive Research Forum. (March 2023.) What do we do when officers’ initial reports don’t align with video footage?
4. Pitts W. (May 2024.) Imagine going to court and finding the police report from bodycam footage in your case was written by AI. 12 News.
5. McGuiggan E. (April 2021.) Tech talk: Voice recognition technology will shape policing. Police Chief Magazine.
6. Ferguson AG. The rise of big data policing. NYU Press. 2019.
7. Hsiung C. (September 2023.) Exploring AI for law enforcement. Police Chief Magazine.
About the author
Lieutenant Christian Dekker has 35 years of law enforcement experience. He graduated from Napa Valley Community College basic police academy in 1988. He was a reserve police officer in Vallejo and a reserve deputy for Imperial County Sheriff’s Office while serving in the Marine Corps. He joined the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office in 1999. Throughout his career, he has held various leadership roles, including assignments in investigations, custody operations, patrol operations and community outreach. In December 2022 he was assigned as the administrative and planning lieutenant at the Ben Clark Training Center, where he manages more than 600 in the Volunteer Forces Unit and is part of a team planning and designing a multimillion-dollar sheriff’s academy build-out. Dekker holds a Master of Arts in management from the University of Redlands, a Bachelor of Science in workforce education and development from Southern Illinois University, and an associate of science in administration of justice from Irvine Valley Community College.